Sweet NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%

(14 Reviews)

Positive

93%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Delightful, Slow, Thought-provoking

About the Show

National Black Theatre presents the world premiere of Harrison David Rivers' drama about two sisters in an all-black town whose bond is put to the test when a young man reenters their lives.

Retha and Nina Baker have always been close—folding laundry together, chasing fireflies together, and enduring the summer heat together. But when their mother dies unexpectedly and their neighbor, George, returns home from college, the sisters’ relationship begins to fray and long-held desires threaten to tear them apart. 'Sweet' is a coming-of-age story about the sacrifices we make to hold on to the ones we love.

Member Reviews (14)

100

Absorbing, Great acting, Profound, Refreshing, Great writing

See it if You want to see drama between two sisters. You want to see what happens between sisters when a man is involved. You want to be entertained.

Don't see it if You are not interested in what happens between two sisters in a small town when a male friend that they grew up with comes back to visit.

Intelligent, Absorbing

See it if you enjoy small, local theater experiences, you enjoy family experience insights, unraveling of relationships.

Don't see it if You want excitement, flash, who dunnit type of story.

Critic Reviews (4)

October 26th, 2016

Laura Collins-Hughes

"Harrison David Rivers’s crowd-pleasing new play...Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges on a set strung with clotheslines, Mr. Rivers’s play aims for poetry but settles for cliché. Luckily, Ms. Aharanwa is on hand to elevate the script, bringing a kind of glow to the dreamy, dutiful Retha, whose own stubborn selflessness is her undoing...The political upheaval and the space exploration of the late ’60s are faint background noise...The plot, on the other hand, is a real throwback."
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November 14th, 2016

David Barbour

"The most striking thing about the characters in 'Sweet' is how they exist outside of history...There's nothing wrong with not focusing on any of these issues, but if you make that choice, you should deliver something less clichéd and predictable than what is on offer here...'Sweet' might have been much harder to take but for the fact that it coasts on the talents of W. Tré Davis, Maechi Aharanwa, and Renika Williams."
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October 30th, 2016

Charlotte Arnoux

"Through Retha and Nina’s tugs-of-war and enduring sisterhood, Rivers paints a picture of the bravery required to stand up for those you love, and for choosing love...Watching these three characters waltz in a cloud of dust between memories and fantasies is an absolute joy. As its title indicates, Rivers’ play has a sweetness that offers real respite from the current socio-economic climate, though the play is not without its own heartbreaks and surprises."
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October 24th, 2016

Donna Herman

"In a breathtaking performance, Maechi Aharanwa gives Retha such radiant life, it is difficult to tear your eyes away from her...Aharanwa’s performance alone is worth the trip uptown, but it’s not all you get for the price of admission. Harrison David Rivers the playwright and Raelle Myrick-Hodges, the director, present a pitch-perfect world that is truthful, real, and obviously offered to us with thoughtfulness and love as a gift."
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